「Anime x Reader One Shots」

Villain (Claude Faustus x Reader) {College!AU}

He couldn't help but watch you every time you were there. It wasn't like it was hard to spot you amongst the empty library. Besides you and him, most people tended to avoid the library on weekends. Whether they were out partying or spending time with family, reading was usually on a typical person's mind.

He would always sit at the far end of the large library and keep a watchful eye on you. Each week, he found it increasingly difficult to focus on whichever new novel he was reading. Book intrigued him far more than any person ever could - with you as the exception of course. There was an aura around you that drew him in.

You didn't neglect a social life due to being forced to study in the library. No, the library was your escape. The quiet weekends were the perfect opportunity for you to get in some extra reading without any distractions. Each new novel you read helped distract your mind from the crippling stress that the real world brought.

Pushing his glasses further up his nose, he watched you skimming the books over in the fantasy section. It was an odd sight to see someone reading in the library for a purpose that differs from studying, especially for a college student. If anything, that only drew him in more.

You grabbed a book from the shelf and opened it up to read the first page, completely oblivious to the man who was walking over to you. You had only just finished reading the first paragraph when he carefully plucked the open book from your hands.

"H-Hey!" you stammered as you turned towards the black-haired man.

"If you're trying to see if you'll like the story, I suggest reading the ending first. It never fails to reveal some insight on the storyline," he told you monotonously as he examined the book he now held in his hands.

"Well, I don't want to spoil the endings for myself. The endings are the best part."

"Not all of them are," he argued as he started taking a few steps. He slowly circled around you as if he was observing you in every possible way. You refused to take your eyes off of this curious man. "For example, this ending is nothing special. Without going into detail, it's the typical story where the villain is defeated and the protagonists live happily ever after. It's quite pathetic."

"I'm assuming you don't like happy endings?"

He suddenly stopped walking. He shot you a side look that was both intimidating, yet oddly charming at the same time. It was only then that you realized that his eyes were a stunning, golden color. Never before did you see an eye color quite like that on another person before. As peculiar as it was, it seemed to have fit him well.

"Who dictates what a happy ending is and isn't? Why does the villain need to be defeated in order for the ending to be deemed 'happy'?"

"Because they're the villain!"

He looked at you like a father would look at his young daughter who was spouting utter nonsense. It was obvious he was looking down on you. He didn't believe you were capable of thinking on the same level as him.

"A happy ending would suggest that all characters were better off than they were in the beginning of the story including the villain. Not all villains are strictly villainous, after all."

His words were confusing more and more. Despite the fair amount of books you managed to read in your lifetime, you've never read one where the villain wasn't evil. If they were never evil, why were they considered a villain?

"There's no such thing as good and evil," he told you as he handed you back the book. "It's only what humans conceive it to be. After learning that, I suggest you finish reading that story and find me when you're done. I'm curious to hear your thoughts on the matter."